Red Wood
by Magikoopa981
Summary: Pinocchio becomes aware of the capabilities of his power as a living puppet, leading him to create a horrifying trail of carnage through the land. It's ultimately up to his old friends and family to stop him.
1. Chapter 1: Pleasure Island

Chapter One: Pleasure Island

Pleasure Island was a place of dreams, and the time spent there flew like a cat on fire. Pinocchio certainly had no idea how long he'd been there. He felt like it had only been a day, yet his skills at the various games offered on the island had increased greatly during the time he had spent there. He was one of the fastest at destroying property at the Model Home, and at pool he was second only to Lampwick, who had been playing his whole life. His fighting, especially, was notable: his wooden body was insusceptible to bruising, and more often than not, the other fighter was sent out crying.

One day, there came a fight that changed everything. Pinocchio had ended up pinned into a corner by one of the most famous boys on the Island, Sangue. Back home Sangue had been the leader of a gang, and had gotten into a series of scraps that had ended with him on the run from the police. He had ended up at Pleasure Island in his escape, and become something of a gang leader again, taking control of a good portion of the rowdy boys that lived there.

Pinocchio, who had been getting stronger and fiercer every day, had managed to catch the attention of Sangue. Sangue had been looking for a new fight, and he had finally found one: the whispered "wooden boy" who could take any punch without so much as a mark. Sangue sent a challenge to Pinocchio through a string of boys, and had at last faced him in the far corner of the Rough House, the tent where fights took place.

Sangue had started with the tried-and-true quick hook, but Pinocchio, fast and hardy, caught it. No one had ever done that before, and Sangue was honestly surprised. Caught off guard, he began to make a series of threats and boasts as he swung again and again at Pinocchio, who either dodged or simply took head-on the forceful hits.

Hearing Sangue's boasts, Pinocchio began to respond in kind. His boasts were ridiculous lies, and as he spoke his nose grew. The other boys in the tent, who had all been fiercely fighting, stopped to watch the new match growing before their eyes. Everyone could tell that both the nose and the fight were sights to remember, and their rowdy catcalls ceased as the fight became more and more desperate.

Like most brawls, the pivotal moment occurred without warning. Sangue, who had grabbed onto Pinocchio's arm, was flung off against the corner of the tent. Pinocchio, high off of the fight, laughed and charged Sangue.

"You're nothing! I can't be beaten!" Pinocchio said excitedly, causing his nose to grow again. He pulled back a fist to punch, but he slipped, and fell against Sangue who was trapped against the wall. The nose, still growing, began to erupt into small branches just as it smashed into Sangue's eye.

There was a horrible scream, and a stream of blood began to run down Pinocchio's nose. Pinocchio stepped back in confused panic, and the boys standing around retreated. Sangue fell to his knees screaming and crying, clear tears falling from one eye and red tears falling from the other.

Pinocchio ran away and hid in panic. He eventually went to the quiet Eight Bar on the island and played pool for a few days with Lampwick to try to forget what had happened. However, the news of his violent and shocking victory spread more vastly and quickly than he could've imagined, and the Coachman, the demonic master of the island, happened to overhear news of the event. He began to develop a special interest in Pinocchio, the mysterious fighting wooden boy.

As the days passed, more and more boys on the island began to disappear. Pinocchio and Lampwick hardly noticed, as their games of pool had begun to practically control their lives. Pinocchio's previous fight had scared him off from any more fighting, while Lampwick himself had discovered during his time on the island that he was actually pretty weak- they both now found enjoyment only in the game of eight-ball.

Drinking and smoking, the days and nights passed and existence seemed to blur.

And then, finally, there came a night when Pinocchio and Lampwick played in the Eight Bar completely alone. Pinocchio was struck by the sudden thought.

"Where do ya 'spose all the kids went to, Lampwick?" Pinocchio asked casually, leaning back on a rickety chair.

"Eh, they're around here somewheres." Lampwick replied just as casually. A certain frightening tension lied under their words that neither of them wanted to acknowledge. "What do you care?" He positioned his cue carefully, planning the next move. "You're havin' a good time, ain't ya?"

Just as Pinocchio began to respond the sound of the saloon doors opening interrupted him. A rush of stale air swept into the room. Lampwick's head shot up, and his hand jerked wildly when he saw the large Coachman standing in the doorway. The cue smacked the side of the billiard ball, causing it to roll off target.

"Hello boys." The Coachman grinned. Lampwick shivered and stepped back from the pool table. Back when he had come to the island the Coachman had just seemed to be some random guy transporting children- exactly as a coachman should be. However, as the boys had stayed on Pleasure Island, unpleasant rumors had begun to spread. The Coachman was the only adult on the island, and he could constantly be seen wandering around. Sometimes boys saw vague, shadowy figures standing near him, and one day someone had noticed that the Coachman only had four fingers. That was right around the time that boys began to disappear.

"What do ya want?" Lampwick sneered, trying to keep his cool. The cold terror rising up from within was screaming at him to run.

"I'm not here for you," The Coachman snapped at Lampwick. "Yet." He turned to Pinocchio.

"Whatever." Lampwick muttered. He walked out through the back door. He was going to find someone else on the island just so he could confirm to himself that not everyone had disappeared.

"Wh-what do you want?" Pinocchio asked.

"I've heard things about you, wooden boy." The Coachman smiled. He sat down near Pinocchio. "I heard long ago that you were made of wood…but now I've heard other things as well. I've heard you're practically unbeatable in a fight, and that you can make your nose grow by lying."

"Maybe." Pinocchio said. He looked at the Coachman's right hand which was on the table. It was true- he only had four fingers.

"Boy, I want you to try some things for me…and if you can do them, I want to take you to meet someone." As the Coachman spoke, the temperature of the room dropped ten degrees.

"Who is it?" Pinocchio asked suspiciously. "I won't be an actor."

"Ha ha, no." The Coachman shook his head. "The person is…well, I can't say any more, but if you pass the tests, your life will become wonderful."

"Even more wonderful?" Pinocchio asked. He began feel slightly more comfortable in the Coachman's presence, and he slowly took a big puff from his cigar.

"Yes." The Coachman grinned. "Now come with me."

* * *

The tests were strange. First the Coachman had Pinocchio stand up against a wall and take a severe beating from a shadowy beast. Pinocchio couldn't feel any of it because he was made of wood, and the Coachman was deeply impressed.

Next, the Coachman had Pinocchio stand face-to-face with one of the shadowy beasts and continually lie. His nose grew and grew and eventually pushed through the face of the beast, which was standing against a wall. The Beast screamed and shook and eventually died as Pinocchio's nose crushed into its face. Pinocchio wanted to step away, but his elongated nose was now stuck in the dead body of the beast. The Coachman ordered Pinocchio to continue lying, and Pinocchio's nose eventually pushed through the head entirely, and into the wall, at which point it snapped off. Pinocchio was left with sharp, splintered nose, which never fixed itself.

The Coachman had Pinocchio kill several other beasts by crushing their heads in. He insisted they weren't really living things, and so Pinocchio wasn't actually killing anything.

After a few hours the Coachman announced that Pinocchio had passed all of the tests, and that he could meet the "special person". Pinocchio was a little excited, although he mostly wondered if it would be a new kind of person to kill.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jiminy Cricket wandered through Pleasure Island. He had been searching for Pinocchio all night, but so far his search had been fruitless. The longer he searched, the more eerie the island became, and he still hadn't come across any people at all.

That was, at least, until he came across a panicked red-haired boy with donkey ears.


	2. Chapter 2: The Red Fairy

Chapter Two: The Red Fairy

After going through a strange door at the back of Pleasure Island the Coachman led Pinocchio down a long series of stone steps crawling into the earth. Lit by periodic candles, the first series of steps had descended in a cyclical fashion, eventually ending at a plain wooden door. Upon going through it, however, a new series of stairs was revealed, and Pinocchio was led further into the darkness of the earth. After a total of nine series of steps, the Coachman stopped at the final door.

"You have to go in alone." The Coachman gestured to the door, which was as featureless as the rest they had passed through. "Only one may be inside at a time."

Pinocchio gulped, approached the door, and opened it slowly, revealing a stunning darkness within. The light from the candles outside the door could not even begin to pierce the darkness- that was how truly suffocating it was.

Pinocchio took a quick peek inside and then began to think about turning back. However, a strong push from the Coachman sent him tumbling in, and the subsequent slam of the door behind him sealed his fate.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Jiminy called to Lampwick, who was freaking out. His complete transformation into a donkey was nearing its end, and it was driving Lampwick right over the edge. Flailing about and kicking his new hooves, he almost managed to squash Jiminy who was forced to run for cover.

Jiminy waited a minute for the transformation to end, which left Pleasure Island's former pool master a crying donkey. Jiminy hopped down from the lamppost he had hidden on top of and confronted Lampwick.

"See? This is what happens." Jiminy gestured to Lampwick with his umbrella. "You're actions made you a jackass."

"This isn't fair." Lampwick sobbed.

"If you behave the way you do, life becomes unfair." Jiminy spoke harshly. He felt a little bad for it, but he didn't have time to help this boy. He had to find Pinocchio. "In any case…have you seen a wooden boy around here? Wears a hat…dark hair?"

"Pinoke?" Lampwick stopped crying. "You know him, bug? I wonder what happened to him…"

"Is he here?!" Jiminy hopped in excitement. "An' do you know where he is? Take me to him! Right now! Right now!"

"Hello." The voice was feminine, tinged with an echo reverberated infinitely. Pinocchio tried to see where the voice was coming from, but the complete darkness of the cavern he stood in shrouded everything. Eventually, after a few moments, a red form began to appear about fifteen feet from Pinocchio.

"Um…" Pinocchio said worriedly.

"Do not worry. You are safe down here." The Red Fairy fully materialized. She was similar to the Blue Fairy except for being red, having coal-black hair, and having dark holes where her eyes should have been.

"Golly…where am I?" Pinocchio tried to look around again, but the darkness was still absolute.

"You are in my domain." The Red Fairy smiled gently. "I have summoned you here in order to make a proposal."

"P-proposal?" Pinocchio asked.

"You are having fun on the island above, are you not?" The Red Fairy asked, gesturing upwards towards pitch black. "Breaking things, fighting, smoking, and playing pool…"

"Uh huh! I sure am!" Pinocchio wasn't entirely sure.

"Well…" The edge of the Red Fairy's smile curved nastily. "What if I told you that you could have that kind of fun anywhere? And even better fun?"

"Better fun?" Pinocchio asked.

"Yes. A new kind of fun called 'revenge', and 'carnage'. Have you ever heard of them?"

"Golly…no." Pinocchio shook his head.

"Is there anyone out there who has wronged you, Pinocchio?" The Red Fairy gestured above again.

"Well…" Pinocchio paused to think. "Gee, yeah! There was this mean guy named Stromboli who locked me in a cage an'…"

"Ah…yes…exactly." The Red Fairy nodded. "Now…Pinocchio, 'revenge' is when you get back at those who wronged you. If you allow me…I can imbue you with the power so that you can get 'revenge' more easily."

"Um…is it fun?"

"It is _so _much fun." A glow of energy burst out of the Red Fairy. "And once you get started…you'll never want to stop."

"Well…gee. I guess so." Pinocchio shrugged. "I mean, I have to admit Miss Red Fairy, Pleasure Island has gotten…"

"Boring? Stale?" The Red Fairy appeared to laugh, but Pinocchio didn't hear anything. "Yes…you need a new level of fun now. Come here." The Red Fairy spread her arms welcomingly.

Pinocchio looked back for only a second before heading for the Red Fairy.

Riding on Lampwick, Jiminy had combed almost all of Pleasure Island for Pinocchio. Lampwick had been sure that Pinocchio would be at the Eight Bar, yet there was no one there when Jiminy had reached it. Several futile hours of searching followed, until Jiminy and Lampwick found themselves back at the front gate to the island.

"This is not good…this is not good…" Jiminy muttered.

"Awright, awright…" Lampwick bayed. "We've searched the whole island for him, and we didn't find him…I want off now."

"We aren't leaving till' we find…" Jiminy stopped when he saw the boat.

It was the same large steam boat that had transported the boys to Pleasure Island, yet now it had a different assortment of passengers: hundreds of donkeys and one puppet- Pinocchio.

"PINOCCHIO!" Jiminy called, but it was no use. The ship was too far gone for any voices from the island to reach it.

_Several days later…_

Stromboli swore, and whined, and pulled at his beard. Tonight was the promised night, the night he competed against his chief rival, Spaghetti, in a puppet competition, yet he was in big trouble.

Two weeks ago, after acquiring Pinocchio, Stromboli had sent off a letter challenging Spaghetti to a show in a town far to the north. He and Spaghetti had been competing for many years, and usually Spaghetti won, but now Stromboli had found the key to assured victory: a puppet without strings.

However, the puppet had somehow escaped, and Stromboli had been left only with his old attractions- and that would not be good enough to defeat Spaghetti. Spaghetti was an absolute master of puppetry- certainly the best that Stromboli knew.

Now Stromboli was forced to beg and pray and plead that he would win. If he lost now, after the boastful and rude letter he had sent Spaghetti…he would never live it down.

"Oh dio, fammi vincere." Stromboli muttered to himself over and over as the sun sank outside.

A couple of hours passed and the moment of truth came. Stromboli sucked in a large gulp of air and made his way onto the stage. On the other side was Spaghetti, waiting boldly with full confidence. Just the sight made Stromboli want to shout in anger.

"Well, Stromboli, we meet…" Spaghetti began.

"Mr. Stromboli!" A childish voice called from the crowd.

"Hah?" Stromboli turned just in time to see Pinocchio leap onto the stage, glowing red and carrying an axe. Stromboli's jaw dropped and he stuttered for a moment.

"A-a-are you here to help me, my little puppet?" Stromboli's eyes wandered over to the axe.

"No sir, Mr. Stromboli." Pinocchio wielded the axe and charged. "I'm here to make you into firewood!"

"WHAT? I…" Stromboli had no time to argue. Pinocchio swung and buried the axe in Stromboli's thick head and then pulled it out again, causing an explosive wave of tomato-red blood to cover his wooden form.

"Golly!" Pinocchio slammed the axe down into Stromboli's face again. "The Red Fairy was right…this is fun!"

The people of the audience screamed and fled from the scene, while Spaghetti bellowed in fright and ran back stage. Pinocchio continued to hack away until Stromboli's head was entirely divided in two.

"Wow!" Pinocchio rested for a moment. "I gotta do this some more!" He leapt up and chased after the slowest member of the audience, an old woman covered in shawls. Despite her age, her lungs were strong, and her screams reached the distant edges of the village.

Several hours later the entire village was in chaos. Pinocchio was small and fast and nobody saw him coming- he'd easily jump out of the shadows and chop them up. He'd made thirty victims so far, and the more he killed the faster and more skilled at the job he got.

Jiminy and Lampwick had been able to track the Pleasure Island boat to the small northern village, however Lampwick had been forced to swim the entire way. He was still in donkey form, but he was making a slow, visible progress back to humanity- his ears were shortening as well as his tail, and his speech was much clearer than before.

Lampwick and Jiminy were resting on the port docks of the village when a scream echoed out: the thirty-first of the night. Lampwick's head shot up in fright, and Jiminy himself lost his breath.

"What th' hell is going on?" Jiminy muttered.

"I don't know, but I don't like it one bit." Lampwick sniffled.

"Pinocchio might be in danger," Jiminy sighed. "We need to find him…"

"Are you kiddin'?" Lampwick shook his head. "I'm outta here. I carried you outta the ocean, and now I'm done. Pinoke was a swell guy, but dis is too much." Lampwick bolted.

"Wait!" Jiminy stood up. "You can't…"

Lampwick was about to turn a corner and disappear out of Jiminy's sight when Pinocchio dropped from a roof above, landing right in front of Lampwick. Lampwick screeched to a halt and fell back on his haunches.

"Hey, Lampy". Pinocchio was completely red.

"S…slats…is that…you…?" Lampwick started to back up.

"It sure is!" Pinocchio swung the axe.

Jiminy, who was watching from afar, gasped. Something terrible had happened to Pinocchio, and it seemed that he had absolutely no qualms anymore- even with killing his friends.

Jiminy knew that he should try to reason with Pinocchio- he was his conscience after all- but he was too scared. Instead, Jiminy ran and ran, as far away as he possibly could.


	3. Chapter 3: Geppetto (The End)

Chapter Three: Geppetto

Pinocchio's rampage continued on and on, the violent deaths he caused fueling him. He continually moved south, unapologetically murdering his fill in every village he came across. When his route had become obvious the people fled their towns before Pinocchio could get there, heading to the west or east. Many, however, did not leave for various reasons: age, disbelief in the story of the living puppet, a loved one that stayed, or the hope that Pinocchio would not come through their town. Most would end up dead.

It was a hard shock for Geppetto when he heard what was happening, but Jiminy's terrified insistences finally convinced him. When Geppetto came to accept the hard truth he realized quickly the secret behind Pinocchio's path through the land: he was coming home. He was coming to kill Geppetto.

But Geppetto wouldn't flee- he wanted a chance to convince Pinocchio to stop what he was doing.

"Fine then! Fine then!" Jiminy shouted angrily. He stood on a table. "I thought you understood how serious this is, but you clearly don't. He chopped up his chum without any remorse!"

"I don't care." Geppetto said in his wheedling voice. He petted Figaro, who was trembling after hearing Jiminy's news. "He's my little boy. My little wooden head. I will talk to him."

"But even if you do…" Jiminy slapped his forehead. "He's killed so many…would it be right to…?"

A small sound of bubbly sorrow came from behind Jiminy. It was Cleo the goldfish.

"Alright then. We should at least consult the Blue Fairy on this." Jiminy decided. "I'm not sure how to get her here, though…"

"I'm already here." The Blue Fairy emerged from a layer of shadows created by the outcrop of a wall. Her dress was a darker blue than usual, and her generally gentle, cheerful face now held its own shadow.

"Oh! Ah…Blue Fairy!" Jiminy bowed. The Blue Fairy did not smile at all.

"So…it has come to this. The Red Fairy has gained another pawn…in the very puppet I brought to life." Her lip curved downwards slightly as she spoke.

"My Pinocchio…what has happened to him?" Geppetto kneeled in front of the Blue Fairy.

"As I said…" A flash of irritation sparked the Blue Fairy's voice. "He has become a pawn of the Red Fairy. She has imbued him with unholy magic, increasing his speed and strength. He now wields an axe and murders innocents across the land, in turn increasing the will of the Red Fairy. …He is without hope."

"No!" Geppetto gasped. "No…there must…"

"Who is this Red Fairy?" Jiminy asked. "She's the one behind this?"

"The Red Fairy is untouchable. Do not even begin to dwell on it." The Blue Fairy sighed. "She is a force of nature like I am, only able to strongly affect this world through proxies that she gains, also as I do. Nothing can harm her just as nothing can harm myself…we fight an eternal war."

"Uh huh…I don't follow. But essentially, you're sayin'…Pinocchio's just going to continue killing people? You can't do anything?" Jiminy said accusatorily. The Blue Fairy glared at him and he fell down.

"My direct powers are limited. You should know that- I used the last of my power for this moon on rescuing you from the puppet master." The Blue Fairy approached Jiminy and he began to scoot back just as Lampwick had from Pinocchio. She pointed at him. "I am not the one to be blamed here. That would be you: Pinocchio's conscience."

"What…but I?!" Jiminy gaped.

"You have failed utterly as a conscience…the boy you were meant to protect has become a genocidal maniac." The Blue Fairy waved her wand. "It is over for you."

"No! Wait!" Jiminy yelled. He threw his hands up.

The Blue Fairy pointed her wand at Jiminy. There was a sharp cracking sound and he seemed to instantly dissolve into the air.

"As for you…" The Blue Fairy turned her wand towards Geppetto. He flinched wildly. "I would suggest you flee this place. The bug was correct: Pinocchio is coming here to kill you and your animals. The Red Fairy had told him that once he finished you that he would no longer be bound by any strings- his ties to the material world would be cut, and he would gain further power as a real boy. He believes these words with all of his petty heart."

Geppetto shook his head in shock and despair.

"I will return to this world in a month, at which time I may be able to put an end to this madness. Until then, however, I cannot bear to stay here and witness the coming death." The Blue Fairy began to float towards an open window. "Escape and hide…this will all end…eventually."

The Blue Fairy turned into a speck of light and floated away. As she left darkness settled over the house, and a stifling silence blanketed all. Figaro and Cleo looked to see how Geppetto was reacting, but he was making no moves at all. Eventually, after a couple of moments, his face hardened and he stood up.

"No…I won't…I won't run." Geppetto turned away from his pets. "I won't let Pinocchio kill any more in order to find me…I'll end what I created myself…it's the only way."

* * *

A week passed. Despite Geppetto's bold exclamations it seemed that he made absolutely no preparations for his confrontation with Pinocchio. Figaro waited and watched, but the only things that Geppetto ever returned home with were foods. There were no weapons of any kind- unless, perhaps, a frozen chunk of meat could be used with blunt force…but even still, it would be absolutely useless against Pinocchio.

One night there came a knocking at the front door. Geppetto took a quick peek through a window and saw that it was Pinocchio- finally here to kill his father. Geppetto grabbed Figaro and ran into a small closet underneath the stairs. He hunched up, shushing Figaro who was angrily struggling, since Cleo had been left behind in her fishbowl.

Ten seconds passed before the door was smashed open. Pinocchio walked into the house, swinging the axe by his side, and looking around the old home he hadn't been at in nearly a month. Geppetto watched Pinocchio closely through a small hole in the door, and Figaro struggled to peer out as well.

"Papa?" Pinocchio looked around the house, his wooden head swiveling while the rest of his body stayed still. "Where are you, Father? I'm finally home."

Geppetto held his breath.

"I want to tell you all the things I've done…" Pinocchio tugged a little at his new fox-fur cape. "All the things I've accomplished…" Pinocchio walked further into the house, and ultimately out of Geppetto's sight.

There was a small gasp and then a terrified bubbling sound.

"Cleo! It's you!" Pinocchio exclaimed. Geppetto listened as Pinocchio's footsteps became quieter and quieter, approaching poor, trapped Cleo in the fishbowl.

Geppetto tensed his body.

"I've missed you…" Pinocchio stuck his hand into the fishbowl, reaching for Cleo so as to crush her. Geppetto heard the sound of the water splashing, and he reached into his pocket. This was it.

"Sorry Figaro…but I couldn't risk getting close to him." Geppetto lit the match, dropped it onto Figaro, and pushed the door open. Figaro's fur burst into flames and he shrieked, blasting out of the closet and towards the closest source of water in the house- the fishbowl. Pinocchio turned around just as Figaro leaped at him, colliding with him and the fishbowl which fell onto the floor and shattered.

The water splashed onto the floor as well as Cleo. She flopped about and struggled to breathe the starchy air. Pinocchio ignited almost immediately, dropping his axe and becoming a screaming form of flame. Figaro fell against Geppetto's crafting table and lighting it on fire. His and Pinocchio's screams began to combine into a horrifying duet.

Geppetto wandered out of the closet, slowly stumbling over to Pinocchio. His wooden son, once gentle and pure, was now a terrible but also beautiful vision of red wood.

Geppetto held out his arms in the manner of an inviting hug, and Pinocchio rushed towards him. Geppetto grabbed and held tightly, standing bold as Pinocchio screamed right into his ear and the flames consumed him whole.

The entire cottage was on fire and Geppetto could hardly feel it- the sheer despair of losing his house, his pets, of killing his son, and the intense pain of a fiery death. No, Geppetto could only feel himself drifting away- drifting away into the cold sky with the cleansing smoke.

The End


End file.
